The human relationship with nature is embedded in the physical, practical and psychological construction of societies. Public natural space has played an important role in urban development since Industrialisation drove people out of rural environments and into the cities. Nature and landscapes have moved humans to interact and react since early human history. This analysis looks at discourses over shared and publicly-owned natural space, attachment to landscape and the desire of humans to engage in its use and maintenance. It asks how advocacy for public natural space beginning in the early 1800s has formed a foundation for both an environmental ethic and the modern environment movement. The Queen's Domain, Hobart, is natural parkland close to the city centre that, like other parks in urban settings across the world, offers ready access to nature free of human-induced pressures. This project examines the relationships between people and public natural space, motivations for engaging in debate over its use, and the role of newspapers in moderating that discourse over time by studying news texts about the Queen's Domain spanning two hundred years, and applying an historical and discourse analysis. This study identifies key voices that are absent in the discourse and considers the need for inclusivity in debate.